AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace are pleased to announce that the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of Japan has signed a contract for an AW139 medium twin helicopter. This aircraft will be used to perform fire fighting, emergency medical service, air rescue and transport missions. The helicopter is due to be delivered in late 2011 and will enter operational service in spring 2012. This AW139 sale follows an order for the same helicopter type by the Saitama Prefecture in January 2011 and continues the success of the AW139 in the Japanese market for fire fighting and disaster relief applications. AgustaWestland’s Head of Region, NE Asia, Andrew Symonds. said “We are proud to provide Japan with an additional AW139 helicopter to support its range of demanding emergency mission requirements. Thirty AW139s have been ordered by customers in Japan so far, confirming its position as the most advanced mission capable helicopter available today in the medium twin class.”

The AW139 was chosen by the customer after a rigorous and comprehensive evaluation to ensure it could meet its demanding mission and safety requirements. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency’s AW139 will feature a very comprehensive mission-dedicated fit including a “belly tank” fire fighting system, Bambi Bucket, weather radar, search light, cargo hook, rescue hoist, dual rappelling hooks, loudspeaker system, ice detector system, snow skis and main rotor blade high visibility painting. Advanced avionics selected include Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) capable GPS, Enhanced Vision System (EVS), Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). The AW139 offers superior safety levels in this role due to its class leading performance, outstanding one engine inoperative capabilities, system redundancy and high levels of crashworthiness.

This latest contract further strengthens the presence of the AW139 in the Japanese helicopter market where 30 have now been ordered by several customers including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Japan Coast Guard, All Nippon Helicopter (NHK), Kansai TV, Japan National Police Agency, Saitama Prefecture and Fire and Disaster Management Agency. With orders for over 500 units in around 50 countries from more than 140 customers and over 350 units already in service, the AW139 is the best selling medium twin helicopter in the world. Many of the world’s leading fire fighting, EMS and disaster relief operators have now selected or are already operating the AW139 in several countries including the USA, Canada, Italy, Republic of Korea, China, Malaysia and Australia. AgustaWestland’s success in the Japanese helicopter market continues to grow with strong sales in recent years across its complete commercial product range. AgustaWestland opened a new regional business headquarters in Tokyo in 2008 in support of its growing business in Japan. The helicopter fleet in Japan is also supported by three official service centres which provide maintenance and repair services.